Best blogs of March

Our Best Blogs of March includes stories on quitting bad habits, employee happiness and building teams of rockstars and superstars. That’s a lot of great stuff to read while waiting for the snow to stop falling!

Rock stars versus superstars

When trying to put together a top-notch team, it can be tempting to try and source as many Elon Musks or Marissa Mayers and possible. However, a team of superstars isn’t necessarily going to give you optimum results.

A great example is the 2004 US Olympic men’s basketball team. Packed full of young superstars like Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, the team lost to Argentina in the semifinal round and had to settle for bronze. That team could have benefitted from a few “rock stars”, or people who excel at a specific job, like blocking shots, but aren’t know to dominate a game by themselves.

If you’re looking to build a stellar team, be sure it has a mix of both rock stars and superstars.

6 Things You Must Quit Doing Now To Be More Successful

Most of us grew up hearing the mantra “Don’t be a quitter,” and we’ve internalized it to the point where we feel guilty even if we don’t finish a book that’s boring us to death. Our parents weren’t entirely wrong in saying that persistence is necessary for success, but sometimes quitting is the most effective course of action. Whether it’s a failed project, a thankless job, or a doomed relationship, quitting can be a virtue.

Happy employees are productive employees

Both surveys and clinical research has shown that employees who feel happy and appreciated tend to get more done than their nonplussed or despondent counterparts.

In one study by the Wharton School of business, two groups of people were asked to make fundraising calls, with one of the groups getting a pep talk from the fundraising director, who expressed his gratitude and appreciation. The group that got the message of appreciation ended up making 50 percent more fundraising calls than the control group.

Making employees feel appreciated is more than just waving pom-poms and rah-rahing your team every chance you get. Surveys have shown that providing valuable education and training to workers also has the added benefit of making them feel appreciated.

Employees also report overwhelmingly that good relationships with their superiors and co-workers make them happier and more engaged at work. Although you might hate them, regular meetings do appear to contribute to employees’ sense of connectedness, happiness and engagement.

Interestingly, decent pay doesn’t always translate to employee happiness. Some research has shown that many people are willing to take a less pay for an ideal job situation.